The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-02-10

Iub QUESTION upon WulOn Iu6 people
Of Stark county will vote, either next
November or at the November election
of 1888, as to whether new county In
fiTmaTy shall be built, Is one Of unlver-
sal interest. The old and dilapidated
condition Of the present building is
known to every one, and that build
| ing should be erected where the poor
unfortunates can have proper care and
treatment, Is conceded by almost every
one. The Inhrmary question Is one
which Is exciting attention all over the
State, on account Of the frightful expo
sures being made by DR.. Byers' inVestl-
cation of the Summit county Infirmary.
Some of the horrors disclosed are de-
tailed In the following dispatch:
AKRON, O, February 3.-The In6rm-
ary investigation has gOno far enough
to determine one thing, at least, and
that is, that II DR.. Byers, who Is Secre-
tsry of the State Board of Charities, can
agitate the matter to successful issue,
there will be radical change In the
system now prevailing In the Inflrmar-
les Of the State. DR.. Byers says that the
birth Of child to an insane mother,
that started the whole inquiry at Akron,
D., that caused q sensation all over the
State, is not an isolated case. He cites
an instance like 1t In Gesuga county,
where an Insane inmate of the Infirm-
ary gave birth to two counterparts Of
herself. In VlntOn county, a poor, mis-
shspen, hideous looking woman became
mother In the crazy house Of the In
firmary, and her offspring was a mon
strOsity horrible to look upon. The sys-
tenn of herding all kinds Of insane In
mates, except the dangerous and violent,
together, and allowing the sexes access
to each others departments, is what ia
responsible Tor this state Of things, and
the Akron horror and those cited In the
two other counties are likely to be
duplicated at almost any Infirmary.
This great desideratum Is such q
change In architecture and management
as will secure the complete separation
Of the sexes, as we'll as the various
classes of inhrmary inmates, and at the
same time permit Of sufficient exercise
to health.
Byers cites the case of man named
North, an Insane Inmate Of the Summit
County Infirmary, to show what is done
10 every infirmBry OF the State. This
man has been Gagged up In cell for
years. He sits on his launches with his
knees drawn up to his chin, imag G nlng
himself an owl. From sheer lack of
exercise, or of chance to move, his
limbs stiffsCed and he became hideous
object, dragging out miserable exist
ence for years. On the other hand, ul-
der the present system, to give these
Door creatures and others whose insan-
tfV la nf q V1nfIHor tUno nnnnrfnnffu
to get air or exercise means mingliDg
together that will result In such great
immortality as these cited.
DR.. Byers spoke with deep earnestness
when he characterized the miserable In
6rmary regime In Ohio to-day, and ex
pressed his belief that the Akron investi-
cation would open the eyes of the peO.
pie of Ohio, and bring about a needed
reform. He called attention to the fact
that while County Commissioners we're
required to submit plans of all proposed
In6rmary buildings to the State Board
Of Charities there was continual VIOLA
tiOn OF the requirement. DR.. Byers re-
ferred to the "irOn cages" In which the
insane were kept as not At to put q COW
into. The developments In the inVesti-
CATION to-day we're rather unfaV-
orable to the InfirmRry management.
One witness named Frank Hodges, who
has been an inmate Of the IDhrmary for
several years, testified that he did not
take medicine given him by DR.. FOuser,
the Intrmary physician, (now under
bond on the charge Of body snatching)
because he didn't want to die jnst yet
and have DR.. F0user get his body.
A. Il. Madison testified to having an.
other physician to attend to his brother
while In the Infirmary, and how DR.. |
F0user, the county physician, presented
q bill for $52 for taking care Of his
brother before the second doctor was
called In. Three Akron women who
went to the Infirmary on one occasion
to attend the funeral Of Mary Metzler,
told how the door to one Of the female |
inmates room was locked that day, and
how when 1t was forced open the girl
was found with clothing disarranged
and q olub-f0oted male pauDer sitting
on her bed. Evidence was given show |
ing that other men had visited this girls
room, one witness saying that Mrs. Ham
lin, the matron, must have seen them. |
DR.. L. 8. Ehright, Of this city, gave the |
his impression of the state of |
things In the insane department of the
Infirmary. He said that If DR. Byers were
not present he should call the manage
ment "damnable." mo profanity is
permitted In this court" said DR.. Byers |
with mock solemnity and deprecating |
motion of the hand, "but If the language |
Is applied to the Infrmary crazy house |
VIZ shall let 1t pass"
William Barnett testified to seeing |
Hamlin choke Charles |
crippled inmate, because he |
had said that he saw Hamlin taking |
away InfrmaTy goods to his father.ln- |
la mo houoa